Social Exchange Theory Perspective Research Articles

Job Satisfaction and Citizenship Behavior: A Mediating Effect of Organizational Commitment

Abstract Background and Purpose: Recently, job satisfaction has become a center of attention among academics, behavioral scientists, and business practitioners. Drawing on the tenet of the social exchange theory (SET) perspective and extending the conceptualization of the same, the present study aims at investigating the relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and citizenship behavior and mediation mechanism to unearth the effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment on citizenship behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach: Building on the positivist paradigm, we used quantitative research methodology following deductive reasoning approach. Henceforth, we have collected 210 replies from employees who have been serving Ready-made garments (RMG) sector that accounts for the highest export earning industry (84% of the total export earning) in Bangladesh. We purposively selected Chittagong Export Processing Zone, the largest export processing zone in Bangladesh, for collecting our required data. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and structural equation model (SEM) using Smart PLS 2, a second-generation regression analysis, and SPSS 20. Results: The structural model estimates that all the direct influences are significant excepting the impact of job satisfaction on citizenship behavior. Besides, the full mediation effect of organizational commitment was found in the relationships between job satisfaction and citizenship behavior. Conclusion: The main implication is suggesting all corporate executives for creating an environment which will make employees very committed to letting them think out of the box beyond their required formal task requirement. In addition to a longitudinal study, further research on the moderating effect of demographic factors on the above variable is attested.

Idiosyncratic deals and work‐to‐family conflict and enrichment: The mediating roles of fit perceptions and efficacy beliefs

AbstractIdiosyncratic deals (i‐deals), which involve personalised work arrangements negotiated between employees and their managers, offer a promising approach to accommodating the demands of a diverse workforce. In contrast with the traditional social exchange theory perspective, we integrate the theories of person–environment fit and self‐efficacy to examine the effect of flexibility i‐deals on both work‐to‐family conflict and enrichment. We specifically consider two mediating mechanisms: needs–supplies (N‐S) fit and family‐role efficacy. Results from two Chinese samples reveal that supervisor‐rated flexibility i‐deals relate positively with employees' family‐role efficacy and N‐S fit. These, in turn, relate to work‐to‐family conflict negatively and to work‐to‐family enrichment positively. Monte Carlo bootstrapping analyses confirm the indirect effects of N‐S fit and family‐role efficacy. By using an alternative theoretical perspective, we add to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the i‐deals effect. This study expands existing i‐deals research to an empirically underrepresented area: work–family enrichment. Our findings also confirm the work–family benefits of i‐deals and strengthen managers' confidence regarding the merits of implementing i‐deals in the workplace.

Developing and Validating a Theory-Based Model of Crowdfunding Investment Intention—Perspectives from Social Exchange Theory and Customer Value Perspective

In order to improve public financing sustainability in China, the Chinese government has announced several administrative policies on crowdfunding, concerning platform construction and operation, in recent years. However, the existing policy scope rarely mentions the importance of social psychology, which also plays a decisive role in determining the participation and success rates of crowdfunding. Therefore, this study uses the knowledge from social exchange theory (SET) and customer value perspective (CVP) to develop and validate a conceptual model of the key determinants of the public’s intention in investing in crowdfunded projects in China. Based on the primary survey data, the SEM (structural equation modeling) estimations suggest that: (1) communication, shared values, investors’ perceived benefits, and perceived risk have significant effects on crowdfunding investors’ trust in fundraisers of a particular crowdfunding project, which in turn act on their commitment and intentions to invest in the project; (2) trust strengthens funding intentions through fulfilling commitments, whereas its direct effect on funding intentions is insignificant; (3) commitment has a direct and significant positive effect on the enhancement of funding intentions. These findings propose a new perspective of improving public policies to support small and micro enterprises (SMEs) and individual innovative projects in China.

Contextualizing psychological contracts research: a multi-sample study of shared individual psychological contract fulfilment

ABSTRACTResearch on psychological contracts has made significant contributions to theoretically advancing our understanding of the employee-employer exchange relationship and its implications for organizational practice. However, the predominant emphasis of this empirical research has been on the individual level of analysis and in the process does not give sufficient attention to contextual influences. Teams have become a common feature in organizations today and provide a proximal context through which to understand how teams affect individuals’ evaluation of their psychological contract. Based on the macrosociological perspective of social exchange theory as well as theories on the role of social influence in psychological contract evaluations, we examine how shared individual psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) shapes the relationship between individual PCF and outcomes (employee’s own contributions and contextual performance) at the individual level as well as the predictors (group POS) and consequences (average employee contributions and average contextual performance) of shared individual PCF at the team level. Our findings from three studies, representing a total sample of 995 employees and 170 teams, provide support for the study hypotheses. This paper contributes to the psychological contract literature by conceptually and empirically addressing the role of a team context (shared individual PCF) and its impact on individual- and team-level relationships.

Should Employers Invest in Employability? Examining Employability as a Mediator in the HRM - Commitment Relationship.

This study investigates the relationship between perceived investments in Human Resource (HR) practices and workplace commitment, from the perspective of social exchange theory. An innovative feature is that we introduce perceived employability as a potential mediator, thus bringing in a career perspective: our argument is that perceived investments in HR practices promote feelings of employability, which then create workplace commitment. Based on a 6-week follow-up sample (N = 437) and a 1-year follow-up sample (N = 127), the results of structural equation modeling analyses mostly provided support for our hypotheses. Participation and communication practices were linked to commitment via employability (in both samples), and training and development only in the short term (6-week sample). Performance feedback and reward practices, however, were unrelated to commitment via employability. Overall, our findings show that employees bring in career considerations, employability concerns in particular, in the exchange with their employer. In addition, we contribute to filling the HRM “black box” by showing that employability might be an explanatory mechanism in the HR practices – outcome relationship.

The Impact of Trust and Reciprocity on Knowledge Exchange: A Case Study in IT Outsourcing

The aim of this study is to analyse the mechanisms of trust and reciprocity that impact knowledge exchange in IT outsourcing projects. This study develops a framework that shows the impact of the trust and reciprocity components on knowledge sharing and IT outsourcing projects. IT outsourcing represents the way in which a company can accelerate the achievement of its goals by handing over all or some of its IT services to vendors. This study adopts a social exchange theory perspective. The conceptual model has been developed based on Wong and Cheung’s (2005) trust categories (Partners’ Performance, Partners’ Permeability, Relational Bonding, System-based Trust) and Cohen & Bradford’s (1989) exchange currencies model (Task-related Currencies, Position-related Currencies, Relationship-related Currencies, Personal-related Currencies). In this study, the researcher applied a single-case study qualitative approach combined with a core action research methodology covering three action research cycles. The researcher collected the data using two types of interviews: semi-structured and focus group interviews. The total number of conducted interviews was 45, covering managers, team leaders, and IT technical staff. Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) was used to analyse the collected qualitative data. The study was a good chance for the researcher and participants to apply action research methodology for the first time in the organisation. An action research co-generative knowledge creation module was applied to provide a workable solution for the identified study question. Four factors were found to make a significant contribution to reciprocity: a well-designed contract, client capability, operational readiness, and the client-vendor relationship. Four elements were found to have a significant impact on building mutual trust between the client and the vendor: a well-designed contract, vendor capability, transparency, and communication. The study found that two factors can assist in increasing the level of trust and the vendor’s strengths during the IT outsourcing process. Those two assisting factors are external consultant support (in the contract negotiation phase) and top management support (in the contract implementation phase). The main contribution of the study is the conclusion that both reciprocity and trust must be combined to have effective knowledge transfer. Trust and reciprocity are not one single factor, however; each is a category with associated subcategories. Outsourcing contracts and vendors’ good intentions are not in themselves enough to achieve the outsourcing targets. The salient outcomes of the study are the realisation of the importance of having skilled resources on the client’s side, and that these resources must not be used only to monitor the vendor; rather, the client must have a plan to engage and integrate those resources with the vendor’s activities. The study also advises the client’s management to consider the contract as a means to IT outsourcing success and not an end in itself. A continuous effort is needed during the project to achieve the company’s targets and to overcome any gaps in the signed contract.

Is the Impact of a Support System on Job Satisfaction Different between Employees in Taiwan and Mainland China?

From the perspective of social exchange theory (SET), the study examines a mediated model linking perceived human resource management (HRM) practices and perceived supervisor support (PSS) with work engagement and job satisfaction. This study also empirically investigates the invariance of sub-groups among 1362 full-time employees recruited from Taiwan and Mainland China. The results show that work engagement strongly was linked to job satisfaction and mediated the relationship between perceived HRM practices and PSS. In addition, no significant of different groups is evident in the structural relations among the employees in Taiwan and Mainland China. The findings suggest that the enactment of positive behavioral outcomes because of engagement and job satisfaction largely depends on organizational support, including HRM practices and supervisor encouragement.

Matrimonial Failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch: through the perspective of Social Exchange Theory

This paper aims at to analyze the causes of matrimonial failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch among the central couples: Casaubon and Dorothea and Dr. Lydgate and Rosamond _ by applying Social Exchange Theory and its principles (rewards and costs, Comparison level, relational resources, trust and commitment, and marital solidarity), through which their causes of failure of conjugal relationship are meticulously analyzed, and not fulfilling of these cause failure and fragility in central marriages in the novel.

Matrimonial Failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch: through the perspective of Social Exchange Theory

This paper aims at to analyze the causes of matrimonial failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch among the central couples: Casaubon and Dorothea and Dr. Lydgate and Rosamond _ by applying Social Exchange Theory and its principles (rewards and costs, Comparison level, relational resources, trust and commitment and marital solidarity), through which their causes of failure of conjugal relationship are meticulously analyzed, and not fulfilling of these cause failure and fragility in central marriages in the novel.

New perspective on informal knowledge sharing in the self-service environment

ABSTRACTCustomers informally sharing knowledge with other potential users about self-services may contribute to greater service adoption. However, amid the multitude of contributing factors previously identified, little is known about the extent to which informal knowledge from a fellow customer may inspire the receiving customer to engage in further informal knowledge sharing behaviour regarding self-services and the degree to which consumers’ emotional attachment towards the source could impact on argument success. This study broadens understanding of the matter and offers a new perspective on informal knowledge sharing behaviour in the self-service environment. Data was collected from electronic banking self-service users in South Africa and Germany, and involved a self-administered survey. The research findings explained the underlying process of continuous informal knowledge sharing behaviour concerning self-service technologies from a source credibility and social exchange theory perspective. Furthermore, novel insight is provided on the importance of customers’ emotional attachment to the source in impacting the persuasion process and the extent to which online beliefs of trust and usefulness may affect helping intention as a form of informal knowledge sharing behaviour.

Supportive Chinese supervisor, innovative international students: a social exchange theory perspective

This study investigates the impact of supervisor support on research innovation pursuit among international doctoral students in China. A total of 120 international doctoral students’ responses were employed through random sampling from the three business schools of Chinese public universities. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares technique, a second-generation statistical software package for structural equation modeling. The results revealed that supervisor support significantly affects students’ research innovation endeavors. The study also suggests that supportive supervision is necessary for fostering citizenship behavior, creativity and innovation pursuit among international doctoral students. The findings of this pioneering study will help higher education administrators, and policymakers revisit existing doctoral program management and deliveries processes and encourage academic supervisors to modify guidance and mentoring procedures for doctoral students.

Jobs and safety: A social exchange perspective in explaining safety citizenship behaviors and safety violations

In this paper we extend the Job Demands Resources model of situational and routine safety violations proposed by Hansez and Chmiel (2010) to incorporate contextual variables (participation in voluntary safety activities and the perspective employees take on whether such activities are part of their job or not). We draw on a Social Exchange Theory (SET) perspective of job resources (JR) to test important new relationships between safety specific and non-safety specific processes. We build on prior observations that safety participation (SP) predicts lower safety violations, and that employee perspectives on such discretionary activities predicts their discretionary safety behavior (Neal and Griffin, 2006; Chmiel et al., 2017). We adopt a SET perspective for two reasons. First, because SP is discretionary, it can be reciprocated by employees, and reciprocation is central to SET perspectives (Blau, 1964; Eisenberger et al, 1986). Second, because Hansez & Chmiel showed that a safety-specific variable, Perceived Management Commitment to Safety (PMCS), explained additional variance in safety violations over the JDR model. PMCS can be regarded as reflecting anticipated rewards for behaving safely, another key psychological process connected to SET (Blau, 1964; Emerson, 1976). Structural analyses used a sample of 1922 workers from a Belgium steel company. Results add to the understanding of processes predicting safety violations, suggesting that JR promote, not just engagement and anticipatory rewards for acting safely, but important additional reciprocation processes deserving further exploration.

Collective psychological capital: Linking shared leadership, organizational commitment, and creativity

Drawing from a macro perspective of social exchange theory, the current study aims to examine the relationships between shared leadership, collective psychological capital, organizational commitment, and creativity at a collective level in Taiwan’s hotel industry. We adopt three-stage time-lag design with a three-week in each stage to collect data. Data stem from 52 hotels and comprise 267 employees were used to test the hypotheses through structural equation modeling. We found that, the data fit the hypothesized model well, and collective PsyCap partially mediates the relationship between shared leadership and both organizational commitment and creativity. From these results, theoretical and practice implication are offered. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings and offer recommendations for future research.

Conceptualizing the impact of perceived organizational support and psychological contract fulfillment of employees paradoxical intentions of stay and leave

The article presents a comprehensive and detailed conceptual framework on the effects of employees’ perceived organizational support on their paradoxical intentions of leaving to and staying with the organization in Psychological Contract Perspective. This study anticipates proposing an applicable technique to examine empirically the interrelationships of employees’ perceived organizational support, psychological contract fulfillment, intention to stay and intention to leave.This paper proposes theory-based path model, and possible interrelationships of related constructs such that the future analysis would be based on related statistical methods may include structural equation modeling approach.Although numerous researchers have studied the broad topics of perceived organizational support and employees’ turnover intentions, none of those studies has explored the paradoxical and differential impact of perceived organizational support on the intentions of staying and leaving. The innovative propositions using psychological contract fulfillment lenses in the relationship of perceived organizational support with the intention to stay and intention to leave, as explained by psychological contract perspective of social exchange theory would be the originality of this paper and possible contribution to the body of knowledge.

The Influence of Paternalistic Leadership on the Creative Behavior of Knowledge Workers-Based on the Perspective of Psychological Contractual Perception

Employee innovation is the foundation of enterprise innovation. Each knowledge worker should be an innovation unit. This reminds managers that they need to examine their own behaviors and methods in the process of organization and management from the perspective of employees. This study is based on the perspective of social exchange theory. Through the combination of interviews and questionnaire surveys, we have referenced domestic and international scales, and analyzed the paternalistic leadership style, psychological contractual awareness, and employee innovation behavior using statistical methods such as correlation analysis and regression analysis. The relationship between paternalistic leadership and the employee’s innovative behavior was discussed. The results of this study show that: 1) In the unidimensional analysis, there is a positive relationship among benevolent leadership in paternalistic leadership, psychological and psychological perception, and employee innovation behavior; 2) Authoritarian leadership and psychological contract perception, there is a negative correlation between employee innovation behaviors; 3) There is a significant positive relationship between psychological contract perception and employee innovation behavior.

Matrimonial Failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch: through the perspective of Social Exchange Theory

This paper aims at to analyze the causes of matrimonial failure in George Eliot’s Middlemarch among the central couples: Casaubon and Dorothea and Dr. Lydgate and Rosamond _ by applying Social Exchange Theory and its principles (rewards and costs, Comparison level, relational resources, trust and commitment, and marital solidarity), through which their causes of failure of conjugal relationship are meticulously analyzed, and not fulfilling of these cause failure and fragility in central marriages in the novel.

Impact of online gamers’ personality traits on interdependence, network convergence, and continuance intention: Perspective of social exchange theory

Interdependence and network convergence among users characterize strong online social networks and fuel continuance intention. However, little is known about what personality traits are related to interdependence and network convergence. This study answers this question by utilizing social exchange theory to develop the hypotheses. We survey 2212 online gamers and analyse the data with structural equation modelling. We find that extraversion and openness are positively related to interdependence and network convergence, while conscientiousness is negatively related to interdependence and network convergence. Moreover, agreeableness is positively related to interdependence, while neuroticism is negatively related to interdependence. Finally, both interdependence and network convergence are positively related to continuance intention. This study is the first to examine how personality traits are related to interdependence and network convergence, which fuel continuance intention of online gamers.

How does individuals’ exchange orientation moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing?

PurposeThis study aims to explore the complex relationship between leadership and organizational knowledge sharing by investigating the moderating role of exchange ideology on the relation between transformational leadership in attributed charisma and knowledge sharing and the influence of attributed charisma and knowledge sharing on task performance. The influence of leadership in organizational knowledge sharing process has been gradually highlighted.Design/methodology/approachBased on the review of relevant literature and survey, a structural equation model considering four factors in the model together is now constructed and provides four hypotheses which can be verified. Self-completed questionnaires were collected from 163 students in the context of a graduate class in China.FindingsThe findings illustrate the relationship between leadership theory and knowledge sharing from a perspective of social exchange theory. In particular, results show that both transformational leadership and knowledge sharing have positive impacts to task performance and for individuals with low exchange ideology the positive influence from attributed charisma to knowledge sharing is stronger.Originality/valueThis research introduces exchange ideology as a moderator and explains the complex relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge sharing with sufficient proof. Transformational leadership in attributed charisma is more effective to those individuals with low exchange ideology in facilitating their knowledge effort. This paper can be theoretically and practically helpful to researchers and enterprise leaders in organizational knowledge management.

Understanding citizenship behavior of academics in American- vs Continental European-modeled universities in Turkey

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of university tradition, justice perceptions and quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) on the faculty members’ tendency to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) from the perspective of social exchange theory (SET). Attention is drawn to the need to contextualize the established relationships between OCB and its antecedents, as direction and strength of relationships may vary in different contexts.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a sequential mixed method design comprising a survey of 203 faculty members, and 15 semi-structured interviews both undertaken in several universities in Turkey. Hierarchical regression and discriminant analyses were used for the quantitative phase, followed by the qualitative phase that includes compiled quotes and content analysis.FindingsAnalyses provide strong support for the impacts of university tradition and LMX on OCB. The compiled quotes largely support the quantitative findings. Additionally, content analysis reveals sources and consequences of injustice and mechanisms to cope with it among academics.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for university administrators who are looking for ways to increase OCB and enhance justice perception. LMX emerges as a significant factor in encouraging OCB regardless of university tradition. In order to enhance justice perceptions, Continental European-modeled universities should allocate workload and resources in a fair manner, while American-modeled universities should apply procedures consistently across people and time.Originality/valueThe inclusion of university tradition as an independent variable is a contribution as it contextualizes the relationship between OCB and its antecedents, verifying SET for both contexts. Using a mixed method design, the study provides an enriched understanding of OCB.

A Multilevel Examination of High-Performance Work Systems and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study investigated the cross-level influence of high-performance work systems on organizational citizenship behavior, and verified the mediating role of psychological contract and the moderating effect of Chinese traditionality. With a sample of 51 enterprises and 1015 employees, results from cross-level analyses indicated that: (1) High-performance work systems had a significant positive impact on employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. (2) High-performance work systems enhanced organizational citizenship behavior through the improvement of relational psychological contract and balanced psychological contract, at the same time, the high-performance work system could improve the organizational citizenship behavior by reducing transactional psychological contract. (3) Balanced psychological contract and relational psychological contract had a significant positive impact on organizational citizenship behavior, and the relationship with employee’s organizational citizenship behavior was stronger for the balanced psychological contract, while transactional psychological contract had a significant negative impact on organizational citizenship behavior. (4) Chinese traditionality moderated the relationship between psychological contracts and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior.